Property, Power and the Growth of Towns

Local enterprise, institutional quality and strategic location were of central importance in the growth of medieval towns. This book, a study of 112 English towns, emphasises these key factors. This book takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from the disciplines of economics and history.

Catherine Casson is Senior Lecturer in Enterprise at Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. Her publications include articles in Urban History, Business History Review, Business History and the Economic History Review and the co-authored book Compassionate Capitalism: Business and Community in Medieval England (2020). Mark Casson is Professor of Economics at the University of Reading and Director of the Centre for Institutions and Economic History. He has published in Economic History Review, Explorations in Economic History, Business History Review. He is the co-author (with Catherine Casson) of The Entrepreneur in History (2013).

Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Town comparisons: Southern England Part 1 Chapter 3 Town comparisons: Southern England Part 2 Chapter 4 Town comparisons: Midlands and North England Chapter 5 Explaining the growth of towns 1086-1524: a statistical analysis of 112 towns Chapter 6: Town growth and topography Chapter 7: Conclusion